MLS community hosts “Soccer Night in Newtown” following Connecticut tragedy

In the wake of December’s tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Houston Dyanmo President Chris Canetti acted quickly.

The native of nearby Guilford laid the foundation for January 7′s “Soccer Night in Newtown” after chatting with Quinnipiac men’s soccer head coach Eric Da Costa, only a few days after the tragic event in the Northeast. Once it was official, the event quickly gained steam throughout the U.S. Soccer community, culminating as a huge success on Tuesday evening.

More than 40 current MLS players from every team took part in the event, including D.C. United’s Dwayne De Rosario, LA Galaxy’s Landon Donovan and New York Red Bulls forward Kenny Cooper, to name a few. Joining them were many of U.S. Soccer’s most famous faces, with Mia Hamm, Alexi Lalas, Tony Meola, Kristine Lilly and Cobi Jones making appearances.

The event lasted more than four hours (estimated attendance of around 1,500 Newtown residents), providing a chance to help the area continue the healing process.